Method of transporting a steelmaking furnace



Sept. 29, 1970 R. a. MCCREADY ETAL. 3,531,005.

METH D. 0F TRANSPORTING A STEELMAKING FURNACE Original Filea July 25,1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR R088 B MQWEADY KLAUS W FORSIER BY m'ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 214-152 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE An apparatus for making steel by the basic oxygen processwherein the furnace includes a plurality of wheeled trucks forfacilitating movement to and from normal operating or blowing positionfor such operation as charging, pouring, servicing, etc.

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a division of application Ser.No. 567,721, filed July 25, 1966, now Pat. No. 3,469,832, for Method andApparatus for Making Steel, which application is a continuation-in-partof application Ser. No. 514,321, filed Dec. 16, 1965, now Pat. No.3,312,544, entitled, Method and Apparatus for Making Steel, and which isincorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to steelmaking and more particularly toapparatus used in the making of steel, especially by the basic oxygenprocess.

Present day steelmaking installations using the basic oxygen lanceprocess usually include a plurality of furnaces or furnace vesselspivotally supported at their blowing positions for oscillation abouthorizontal axes to facilitate charging, pouring, etc. The furnacevessels are usually stationary, that is, not movable from one locationto another in the installation. The vessels require relining and/orother servicing periodically, usually about every two weeks. The presentpractice is to charge, pour, reline and/or perform other operationsand/or services upon the vessels while they are in their operating orblowing positions. It takes considerable time to pour and charge andthree or more days to reline a vessel. During pouring and charging theblowing operation is necessarily interrupted and during relining thefurnace is out of production. When the steel being produced for aprocessing installation that requires a predetermined constant orsubstantially constant supply of metal, an additional furnace vessel oradditional furnace vessels with the necessary auxiliary equipment mustbe provided over the number which would be required to supply the demandfor steel if the furnace vessels, etc. could be operated continuously.The necessity of providing an additional furnace vessel or vessels withtheir auxiliary blowing equipment, etc. increase the overall operatingcost of the installation.

It has heretofore been proposed to remove the furnace vessels to aservice area for relining, etc., and replace the removed vessel byanother during the relining operation thus utilizing the auxiliaryequipment, such as, the charging, blowing, pouring apparatus, etc., tobetter advantage and thereby reduce the overall cost of production foran installation of any given capacity. Prior attempts in this respecthave, however, either been limited to furnaces of small capacity,required successive floor space and/or were slow in operation, etc.

3,531 ,005 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 "ice The present invention provides anew and improved method of making steel by the basic lance oxygenprocess wherein the furnace vessel is supported at all times on wheelswhich are in fact a part of the vessel unit so that the vessel isreadily movable from its normal operating or blowing position for otheroperations including, charging, preheating, pourinfi, etc., and forservicing, such as relining, etc., as desired.

More particularly the invention provides an oxygen lance-type furnacevessel permanently supported on wheels and movable along a track systemcomprising two intersecting tracks, and otherwise so constructed that itcan be readily transferred to and from its blowing position and from oneto the other of the intersecting tracks, thus facilitating its movementbetween its blowing position and other operating positions such as,charging, preheating, pouring positions, etc., and/ or servicepositions, such as, a relining position, spaced from the blowingposition.

Another of the objects of the invention is the provision of a novel andimproved movable furnace of the character referred to having a truck ortrucks adapted to engage intersecting tracks and which comprise meansfor transferring the furnace from one track to the other which does notrequire any turning radius, thus making the furnace maneuverable inclose quarters.

The vessel unit of the invention preferably comprises a plurality oftrucks and a plurality of hydraulically operated jacks or rams forlifting the trucks clear of one track at an intersection of two tracksto permit rotation of the trucks to a position above the other track andsubsequently lowering the trucks to engage the trucks with the secondtrack.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of asteelmaking furnace usable in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the furnace shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the furnace shown in FIG. 1,looking from the right; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view approximately on theline 44 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT While the preferred apparatus forpracticing the invention is shown and described in considerable detailit is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the use ofthe particular apparatus.

Referring to the drawings the reference character A designates generallya movable furnace vessel unit or as sembly comprising a furnace vessel Bof conventional construction carried on a trunnion ring 10 pivotallysupported for oscillation about a generally horizontal axis in bearings11 and 12 into which suitable cylindrical bosses 13 and 14 formedintegral with the trunnion ring 10 at opposite sides thereof project.The bearings 11 and 12 are carried by side members 15 and 16,respectively, of a built-up frame, generally rectangular in plan. Theframe, designated generally by the reference character C, is formed forthe most part by metal plates welded together.

The furnace vessel B is oscillatable in the bearings 11 and 12 forcharging, pouring, etc., by a suitable drive designated generally as D.The drive D is not shown in detail as it may be of any suitableconstruction and the source of power may be an electric motor, a fluidmotor or an internal combustion engine, etc. Sui-rice it to say that thedrive D, including a bull gear 21 keyed to the boss 14 on the right-handside of the trunnion ring 10, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, and driven bypinions 22 and 23. The left-hand bearing 11 is enclosed in a protectivehousing 24 and the right-hand bearing 12 and the drive D in a housing25. Both housings form part of the frame C, but are constructed toprovide ready access to the operating mechanism enclosed therein.

The front and rear frame members 26 and 27, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2,are depressed intermediate their ends, as shown in the figures referredto, to provide additional clearance for the furnace vessel B when tiltedbut this is not essential.

In the installation shown, it is assumed that the furnace unit A hasbeen moved from its normal operating or blowing position and issupported on the track E at its intersection with a cross track F and inposition to be transferred to the track F. The track E, shown, comprisesdouble or paired spaced rails 30, 31 and 32, 33 and the track F, whichis of the same gauge as the track E, comprises the paired rails 34, 35and 36, 37. The foundation or support for the tracks E and F isdesignated G and may be of any desired character. The track E, aspreviously suggested, may extend to the blowing position, etc., and thetrack F may extend to a service area. The furnace unit A includes fourtrucks H, I, I and K connected to the frame C adajacent to the cornersthereof for movably supporting it on one or the other of the tracks E orF. The trucks are connected to the frame C for rotation about generallyvertical axes. To transfer the furnace unit from one track to the otherthe frame C is raised so as to lift the wheels of the trucks H, I, J andK clear of the rails of the track upon which it is supported, the trucksrotated until the wheels thereof overlie the rails of the other trackand the frame C lowered to position the furnace unit upon the secondtrack. The furnace unit A is raised and lowered by hydraulic actuatedjack means L, M, N and P, located concentric with the axis of rotationof the trucks H, I, J and K, respectively. p

The trucks H to K and the jack means associated therewith are alike andonly the truck I and the jack means M, associated with it, will bedescribed in detail. The duplicate parts of the other trucks and jackmeans when designated by reference characters will be done so by usingthe same reference characters with prime, double prime and triple primemarks employed therewith when applied to trucks H, J and K, and theirassociated jack means, respectively.

The jack means M, associated with the truck I, comprises a fluidpressure actuated motor comprising a vertically extending cylinder 50fixedly secured in the frame C and having a reciprocable piston rod orram 51 projecting from its lower end. The lower end of the piston or ram51 is provided with a circular foot member 52 adapted to engage therails of the track upon which the wheels of the truck I rest. In thenormal operation of the apparatus the foot member 50 when loweredengages both tracks at their intersection. The foot member, however, maybe of any desired construction and may be adapted to engage between therails of the tracks or to span the rails as desired.

The fluid pressure actuated motor is preferably of the doubleacting-type so that the piston or ram 51 can be moved by fluid pressure,preferably hydraulic, in a downwardly direction to raise the frame C andthe truck I when the direction of movement of the furnace unit is to bechanged, and in the opposite direction to maintain the foot member 52clear of the rails when the furnace unit is being moved along one of thetracks.

Fluid pressure may be supplied for operating the piston or ram 51 in anyconvenient manner. It is preferably supplied by a self-contained powerunit carried by the furnace unit and operated by an internal combustionengine. If operated by an electric driven motor, power can be suppliedby a trolley distribution system of the third rail type.

The truck I comprises a frame 60 connected to the frame C for rotationabout the cylinder member o cylinder 50 of the jack means M. Suitableannular bronze ring-like members 61 and 62 are interposed betweenopposite sides of a plate 63 of the truck frame 60 and the adjacentplate-like member 64 of the frame C, and a ring member 65 welded to thecylinder 50. The truck I, as shown, comprises two pairs of wheels 70, 71and 72, 73, supported on suitable axles 74, 75, respectively, connectedto the frame. The wheels 70, 71 are keyed to the axle 74 and are adaptedto be driven by a motor 76 supported on the frame 60 and operativelyconnected to the axle 74 by a suitable train of gears, enclosed in ahousing 77 forming part of the frame 60. The motor provides means formoving the furnace unit A along the track upon which it is supported,and suitable brake mechanism 78 is associated with the motor shaft sothat the furnace unit can be held in any position to which it is movedalong one or the other of the tracks.

Attention is called to the fact that the ram 51 and its foot member 52are centrally located with respect to the wheels of the truck I and theconstruction is such that they do not interfere with the operation ofthe wheels.

As shown, the tracks E and F cross one another at right angles,therefore the trucks H to K are pivoted through 90 in transferring afurnace unit from one track to the other. In the embodiment shown thisis accomplished by double-acting fluid-pressure reciprocating-typemotors 80, 81, 82 and 83, located at the front and rear of the furnaceunit, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, and having their pistons operativelyconnected with the trucks H to K, respectively. The cylinders of themotors are pivotally connected to the front and rear members 26, 27 ofthe frame C. As will be obvious from FIG. 2, the two front trucks andthe two rear trucks are rotated in opposite directions with respect toone another in transferring the furnace unit from one track to theother. The motors to 83 may be supplied with fluid pressure in aconventional manner, preferably from a power source such as the onepreviously discussed located on the furnace frame C and movable with thefurnace unit.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the objects heretoforeenumerated and others have been accomplished and that there has beenprovided a novel and improved process of making steel by the basicoxygen lance process wherein the furnace vessel is supported at alltimes on wheels so that it can be readily movable from its normaloperating or blowing position for other operations including, charging,preheating, pouring, etc., and for servicing, including relining, etc.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. The method of operating a steelmaking furnace installation of theoxygen lance type which comprises: providing a trackway including firstand second intersecting tracks, a movable steelmaking furnace unitoperable on the trackway and comprising a generally horizontal framehaving a steelmaking vessel pivoted thereon, a plurality of wheeledtrucks each individually pivotally connected to the frame for movementabout a different generally vertical axis, and vertically extensiblehydraulic jack means for lifting the frame and for raising the trucks;moving the furnace unit towards an operating and/or service locationwhile supported on one of the tracks to a position where the tracksintersect; actuating the hydraulic jack means to lift the frame and toraise the trucks from one track; rotating the trucks to position thetrucks above the other of the tracks; actuating the jack means to lowerthe trucks onto the other track; and moving the furnace unit along theother track to an operating and/or service location.

2. The method of operating a steelmaking furnace installation of thebasic oxygen lance type which comprises: providing a trackway includingfirst and second intersecting tracks, a movable steelmaking furnace unitoperable on the trackway and comprising a generally horizontal framehaving a steelmaking vessel pivoted thereon, a plurality of wheeledtrucks each individually pivotally connected to the frame for movementabout a different generally vertical axis, vertically extensiblehydraulic jack means for lifting the frame and for raising the trucks,and means connected to the frame for rotating the trucks; moving thefurnace unit towards an operating and/or service location whilesupported on One of the tracks to a position where the tracks intersect;actuating the hydraulic jack means to lift the frame and to raise thetrucks from one track; actuating the means for rotating the trucks toposition the trucks above the other of the tracks; actuating the jackmeans to lower the trucks onto the other References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 6/1959 Griffiths l05177 XR 1/1968 Metz et al 26635 track; andmoving the furnace unit along the other track 10 105177; 21418 to anoperating and/ or service location.

